Transshipment activity
has dropped 12 percent

Security issues cited

According to the latest Port of Beirut (PoB) statistics, transshipment in 2016 fell 12 percent to 292,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent containers) compared to 2015.

The combined revenues of PoB and Port of Tripoli (PoT) are $254 million in 2016. Compared to 2015 figures, the combined revenues remained stable.

Elie Zakhour, Chairman of the International Chamber of Navigation, said: “The countries for which we are a transshipment hub, like Syria, Turkey, and Greece, continue to witness either economic or security turmoil.”

Containers and merchandise for local use have grown seven and six percent respectively.

“The presence of Syrian refugees and increasing aid by international organizations has raised local consumption,” Zakhour said.

Transshipment and local containers, combined, grew by 1.5 percent to 1.1 million TEUs.The number of imported vehicles remained almost stable, at 112,270 units. Contrary to the past four years, the number of vessels has risen 12 percent to 2,000 ships.

Zakhour said: “This is an exception. We have received a lot of feeder vessels from transshipment hubs in Malta, Italy, and Port Saeed.”

Zakhour said: “All in all, this has been a good year. Being able to maintain stability in light of regional changes is a blessing.”

Revenues at PoT, have grown seven percent to $15 million. The total number of merchandise grew to 1.9 million tons, and the number of containers reached 5000 TEUs. The number of vessels dropped six percent to 814.